The president of Nigeria Football Supporters Club (NFSC), Sam Ikpea, on Tuesday, advised Nigerians not to be too hasty to judge the Super Eagles by the last friendly match against the Syli National of Guinea.
Ikpea gave the advice in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) while reflecting on the preparations of the Super Eagles for the 34th Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) in Côte D’Ivoire.
Three-time AFCON winners, Super Eagles, will be making their 21st appearance at Africa’s biggest football showpiece to be hosted by their West African neighbours.
The Super Eagles spent a week in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, preparing for the tournament and had a friendly match against the Syli National of Guinea but lost 2-0.
Many pundits have commented on the loss against another AFCON-bound team, but Ikpea argued that it would be presumptuous to conclude that the team would not do well.
He said the competition was a different ball game to a friendly match, which he said was only organised to shape up the team, among other factors.
“My assessment of the Super Eagles is that they are well prepared for the AFCON 2023. The game against the Guineans is just a friendly match which we can’t use to fully assess the team.
“We should realise that all the players want to play in the major tournament which is the AFCON, hence they must avoid injuries; while some played with caution.
“The result from the Guinea match is not enough to condemn the team or to say they are not good enough, I know that when the competition starts, the players will play their hearts out.
“The team has quality and I expect that they will prove the doubters wrong. We should not be bothered by the friendly match, instead, we should support the team more,” he said.
Ikpea assured that the Super Eagles would surprise the world and Africa when the competition starts on Jan. 13.
He also revealed that the team would be travelling to the host country, Abidjan on Jan. 16 to cheer the Eagles. (NAN)
